Research field

Sustainable Urban Development

Tampere University

Faculty of Management and Business, Faculty of Built Environment, Faculty of Social Sciences

Cities are inspiring arenas for business, culture and everyday life. However, they face complex challenges related to the environment and wellbeing of individuals. The Bachelor´s Degree Programme in Sustainable Urban Development is an international degree programme that provides students with the multidisciplinary skills needed to address these challenges.

Urbanization is one of the biggest trends in the globalized world. It is estimated that 2/3 of the global population will be living in urban areas by the year 2050. This transformation needs to be met with sustainable solutions that take into account not only significant environmental challenges such as climate change, but also social justice among many other criteria.

The Bachelor’s Degree Programme in Sustainable Urban Development offers you a way to develop multidisciplinary skills and expertise related to urban development and sustainability. This multidisciplinary programme consists of three fields of study: administrative sciences, social sciences and technology. The programme includes basic and intermediate courses, common to all students, with interdisciplinary teaching across each fields. Knowledge of these fields will help you understand the complex phenomena related to sustainable urban development from several perspectives. In addition to these multidisciplinary courses, the programme includes specialization studies, which develop the theoretical basis of the selected study stream and for creating a professional profile.

In addition to multidisciplinarity, a unique aspect of this programme is the style of learning. Each year the students are engaged in real-life urban development projects. These projects are carried out in collaboration with companies and public organizations such as the City of Tampere. For example, we utilize a real-world laboratory, Hiedanranta, which is a future city district and a testbed for innovative projects related to smart and sustainable housing, energy, transportation and business.

Students of this multidisciplinary programme select their own study field (administrative sciences, social sciences or technology) already when applying for the programme. Although most of the contents of the programme is common for all students, there are variations in the application criteria, study contents and the name of the degree granted after completing the programme.

For more information on the individual streams, see the individual pages:

Administrative sciences,

Social sciences

Technology

Research

In the Sustainable Urban Development programme, students will have the opportunity to learn from leading academics in the areas of social and administrative sciences and technology, who work to solve some of the key local and global sustainability challenges. Together, the Sustainable Urban Development teaching team undertakes collaborative research into areas such as Education for Sustainable Development, Climate and Environmental Justice, Climate Change Resilience and Adaptation, Political Economy, and Institutional Dynamics of Sustainable Urban Development.

Under the guidance of these academics, the programme aims to equip students with skills to undertake research into sustainable urban development. For example, the degree programme includes courses in a real-world laboratory in Hiedanranta, which allows students to undertake research-based learning in collaboration with local stakeholders and academic supervisors. Students also learn how to undertake independent research as part of their bachelor’s theses, researching a topic of their own choosing. Read reflections from Urban Lab student in their blogs here.

Urban Lab Blogs

Studies

The key global challenges require multidisciplinary thinking and problem solving. The Bachelor’s Degree Programme in Sustainable Urban Development offers students a way to develop multidisciplinary skills and expertise related to urban development and sustainability. Students select one of three streams: Social Sciences, Administrative Sciences, or Technology. Students take stream-specific courses, allowing them to develop the discipline-specific expertise, as well as shared courses which promote multidisciplinary thinking outside of traditional disciplinary silos.

The lecturers of the Bachelor’s programme serve also as teacher tutors for their respective streams. In this role, they support a smooth progress of the students’ studies, as well as the development of the students’ expertise and their attachment to the higher education community.

Upon completion of the bachelors studies, students will be automatically eligible to continue their studies for the Master’s degree, if they wish to do so.

Play the video on YouTube (opens in a new tab).

When applying, please choose one of the three fields as your focus.

Focus on technology

Focus on social sciences

Focus on administration

Cooperation

The degree program has been developed in collaboration with the City of Tampere, and includes opportunities to learn about sustainable urban development beyond the traditional confines of the university.

Cooperation partners include:

Hiedanranta: A new district in Tampere that is being developed together with residents, businesses and communities. As a real-life laboratory of sustainable urban development, Hiedanranta offers excellent opportunities for hands-on experiences of sustainable urban development. It is a site of transdisciplinary and collaborative learning and teaching, where students, teachers, practitioners, residents and other key actors come together to share ideas and engage in city making.
Skateboarding program of the Sampo Upper Secondary School at Tampere: The Urban Lab of the Bachelor’s Degree Programme in Sustainable Urban Development will include joint learning opportunities for bachelor’s students and high school students. Through collaborative learning, the students will learn, for example, how different parties can participate in the making of the city while fostering respect for equality and difference with the aim of developing a more sustainable city.
Brunel University: “Innovations in teaching: Responding to COVID-19 and developing a sustainable online, collaborative, cross-institutional approach to deliver Team-Based Learning” is a joint project of the Bachelor’s Degree Programme in Sustainable Urban Development and the College of Health and Life Sciences at Brunel University. Team-Based Learning (TBL) is a form of innovative pedagogy to facilitate active and collaborative learning in undergraduate classes. Taking account of the COVID-19 situation, the project offers a flexible learning format that allows an easy switch between blended and 100% online teaching. The two teaching teams use TBL in their teaching and analyze their experiences through student surveys, focus group interviews, and a series of meetings. The project offers many opportunities to learn and share good practice, with the objective of enhancing students experience in both institutions.